5 Must-Know Methods When Shopping for Opelousas, LA Car Insurance

I can’t think of anyone who likes having to buy car insurance, especially when their premiums are too high. Consumers have many insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and although it’s nice to be able to choose, so many choices can make it hard to find the best rates.

Buying car insurance in Opelousas is quite easy. If you are insured now or need new coverage, you can use these techniques to find better prices while maximizing coverage. Louisiana consumers just need to know the proper way to compare prices over the internet.

Comprehensive Opelousas Car Insurance Comparison

Performing a rate comparison is a ton of work if you aren’t aware of the fastest way to get free quotes. You can spend your afternoon talking to insurance companies in Opelousas, or you could use online quoting to get the quickest rates.

The majority of car insurance companies take part in a program where prospective buyers enter their policy data once, and at least one company can provide price quotes for coverage. This saves time by eliminating quotation requests for each company you want a rate for.

To participate in this free quote system, click here (opens in new window).

The single downside to comparing rates this way is you are unable to specify which providers to get quotes from. So if you prefer to choose from a list of companies to receive pricing from, we have a page of the cheapest car insurance companies in Louisiana. View list of Louisiana insurance companies.

Whichever method you choose, double check that you are using identical coverages with each company. If you enter higher or lower deductibles it’s impossible to determine the lowest rate in Opelousas.

Do you really save 40% when you switch?

Louisiana drivers get pounded daily by advertisements that promise big savings by State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all seem to have a common claim that you can save if you switch to their company.

How do they all say the same thing? This is how they do it.

Different companies can use profiling for the type of driver that makes them money. An example of a profitable customer could be over the age of 50, is a homeowner, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A driver who fits that profile receives the best rates and therefore will save when switching.

Potential customers who don’t meet this ideal profile must pay higher rates and ends up with business not being written. Company advertisements say “people who switch” not “people who quote” save that kind of money. This is how insurance companies can confidently claim big savings. This illustrates why you need to compare as many rates as you can. It’s not possible to predict the company that will fit your personal profile best.

Tips to Get Lower Opelousas Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that help determine car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

• Safer occupants lowers premiums – Vehicles with high crash test scores get lower rates. Safe vehicles protect occupants better and better occupant protection means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.
• Do you know your deductibles? – Coverage for physical damage, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims would be a windshield shattered by a rock, collision with an animal, and rolling your vehicle. Physical damage deductibles are how much you are required to spend if you file a covered claim. The more money you’re willing to pay, the bigger discount you will receive.
• Lower miles equals lower premium – Driving more miles each year the higher your rates will be. The majority of insurers price each vehicle’s coverage determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars and trucks used primarily for pleasure use get more affordable rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Double check that your car insurance coverage is rated on the proper vehicle usage.
• Never allow your policy to lapse – Letting your insurance expire is a quick way to bump up your car insurance costs. And not only will insurance be more expensive, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance may earn you a steep fine or even jail time.You may need to file a SR-22 with the Louisiana DMV.
• Don’t skimp on liability – Liability coverage is the coverage that protects you in the event that a jury decides you are liable for damages from an accident. It provides for a legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. Liability is cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so buy as much as you can afford.
• Occupation reflects on rates – Jobs such as real estate brokers, social workers and accountants tend to have higher rates than average due to high stress and long work hours. On the flip side, jobs such as scientists, athletes and the unemployed receive lower rates.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Companies offering auto insurance don’t list all available discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we took the time to find some of the more common and the more hidden ways to save on car insurance. If you aren’t receiving every discount you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.

• Multi-policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one insurance company you could get a discount of up to 20% off your total premium.
• Sign Early and Save – Select companies give a discount for signing up prior to your current policy expiring. It can save you around 10%.
• Accident Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay less compared to accident-prone drivers.
• Defensive Driving Course – Taking part in a driver safety course could cut 5% off your bill if your company offers it.
• Organization Discounts – Being a member of a civic or occupational organization may earn a discount when shopping for car insurance.
• Multiple Vehicles – Having multiple vehicles with the same company could earn a price break for each car.

Consumers should know that some credits don’t apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So even though it sounds like all those discounts means the company will pay you, it doesn’t quite work that way.

To choose insurers offering car insurance discounts in Louisiana, follow this link.

Comparing rates from local agents

Some people prefer to get advice from a local agent. Professional agents can help determine the best coverages and give you someone to call. The best thing about getting online price quotes is that you can obtain better rates and still have an agent to talk to.

To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this form (opens in new window), your coverage information is instantly submitted to agents in your area who will return price quotes for your business. You don’t have to leave your computer since price quotes are sent straight to your inbox. Now that’s easy!

Deciding on an insurance company needs to be determined by more than just a cheap price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:

• Which company do they place the most coverage with?
• Is their price quote a firm figure or are their hidden costs?
• Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
• Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
• How are they compensated?
• Is assistance available after office hours?
• Can they give you a list of client referrals?

Not all auto insurance agents are the same

When searching for local Opelousas agents, you need to know there are two types of insurance agents from which to choose. Agents are either captive or independent (non-captive). Both types can insure your vehicles, but it’s worth learning how they are different because it can impact buying decisions.

Captive Agents

These agents can only place business with one company like Allstate, Farmers Insurance, State Farm and AAA. They are unable to provide prices from multiple companies so always compare other rates. These agents are usually quite knowledgeable on their company’s products which helps them compete with independent agents.

Listed below is a list of captive insurance agencies in Opelousas who can help you get price quotes.

Farm Bureau Insurance – 5265 I 49 S Service Rd – Opelousas, LA 70570 – (337) 948-8259
State Farm Insurance – 5317 I 49 S Service Rd – Opelousas, LA 70570 – (337) 942-3585
Allstate Insurance – 1717 S Union St # 1 – Opelousas, LA 70570 – (337) 948-1907

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

These agents are not employed by any specific company but rather can write business with lots of companies and potentially find a lower price. If your agent finds better pricing, they simply move the coverage in-house and that require little work on your part. When comparing rates, it’s a good idea to contact at least one independent agent for the best price selection.

The following is a list of independent insurance agencies in Opelousas who can help you get price quote information.

Godchaux and Godchaux Insurance – 233 S Market St – Opelousas, LA 70570 – (337) 948-3797
Jim Wallace Agency – 1107 Heather Dr – Opelousas, LA 70570 – (337) 942-9527
Bubba Amy Insurance – 329 S Main St – Opelousas, LA 70570 – (337) 942-6669

To view a full list of licensed insurance agents in Opelousas, visit this site.

After receiving satisfactory answers for all questions you ask and a low price estimate, most likely you have located an insurance agency that will properly service your car insurance policy.

Better coverage you can count on

In this article, we presented many ideas to lower your car insurance rates. It’s most important to understand that the more rate quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers may even find the best price on car insurance is with a lesser-known regional company. These smaller insurers may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than their larger competitors like GEICO and State Farm.

Budget-conscious car insurance can be purchased on the web as well as from independent agents in Opelousas, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some companies don’t offer online price quotes and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s very important that you do not buy poor coverage just to save money. In too many instances, someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that it was a big mistake. The aim is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.

Learn more about Louisiana car insurance

More tips and info about car insurance is located at the Louisiana Department of Insurance website. Louisiana consumers can file complaints about a company, find out which companies have the most complaints, get help finding coverage, and discover disciplinary actions.